Exhibit 99.1
KALA BIO Reports Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update
-- Ongoing patient enrollment in Phase 2b CHASE trial of KPI-012 in Persistent Corneal Epithelial Defect (PCED); topline results expected in 2Q 2025 –
-- Initiated five clinical trial sites for the CHASE trial in Argentina; additional sites in Latin America in process, subject to regulatory clearance--
ARLINGTON, Mass., November 12, 2024 – KALA BIO, Inc. (NASDAQ:KALA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for rare and severe diseases of the eye, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024 and provided a corporate update.
“We remain focused on advancing patient enrollment in our Phase 2b CHASE trial evaluating KPI-012 for the treatment of PCED and are targeting topline results in the second quarter of 2025,” said Mark Iwicki, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of KALA BIO. “We believe KPI-012 has the potential to be a first-in-class treatment for PCED with the potential to address all underlying etiologies of this debilitating condition and provide a treatment option for a broad population of PCED patients. If successful, this trial may serve as the first of two pivotal trials in support of a BLA submission that could potentially revolutionize treatment options for patients with PCED.”
Third Quarter and Recent Business Highlights:
KALA’s innovative pipeline is based on its proprietary mesenchymal stem cell secretome (MSC-S) platform. KALA believes the multifactorial mechanism of action of its MSC-S platform technology may enable it to generate product candidates for a range of ocular orphan diseases and is evaluating the potential development of this technology for multiple rare, front- and back-of-the-eye diseases.
KALA’s lead product candidate, KPI-012 contains growth factors, protease inhibitors, matrix proteins and neurotrophic factors to potentially correct the impaired corneal healing that is an underlying etiology of multiple severe ocular diseases.
KALA is initially developing KPI-012 for the treatment of PCED, a persistent, non-healing corneal defect or wound that is refractory to conventional treatments which, if left untreated, can lead to significant complications, including infection, corneal perforation/scarring and vision loss. PCED has an estimated incidence of approximately 100,000 patients in the U.S., representing a potentially sizeable market opportunity as there are currently no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription products with a broad indication covering all underlying etiologies of PCED.
| ● | KALA continues to enroll patients in the CHASE (Corneal Healing After SEcretome therapy) Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating KPI-012 for the treatment of PCED and plans to report topline data in the second quarter of 2025. The Company has also initiated five clinical trial sites in Argentina with initiation of additional sites in Latin America in progress, subject to regulatory clearance. Contingent on positive results and subject to discussion with regulatory authorities, the Company believes the CHASE Phase 2b trial could potentially serve as the first of two pivotal studies required to support the submission of a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the FDA. |
| ● | KALA is also exploring the potential of KPI-012 for additional rare, front-of-the-eye diseases, including Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency (LSCD) and other corneal diseases. LSCD is characterized by the loss or deficiency of limbal epithelial stem cells, which can result in recurrent epithelial breakdown, conjunctivalization, inflammation, neovascularization and other sequalae that can lead to significant symptomology and a loss of |